ABU DHABI, 28th October, 2025 (WAM) -- A thrilling second edition of the World Surf League (WSL) Surf Abu Dhabi Longboard Classic reached a spectacular conclusion on Sunday evening as Honolua Blomfield and Edouard Delpero were crowned champions.
Following two days of intense, world-class competition on Friday and Saturday, Finals Day began with the quarter-finals, featuring the eight remaining men and eight remaining women.
In front of a packed crowd creating an electric atmosphere at Surf Abu Dhabi, American star Avalon Gall and Hawaiian legend Honolua Blomfield emerged to set up a tantalising women’s final. In the men’s event, 2024 Abu Dhabi champion Steven Sawyer of South Africa and French star Edouard Delpero ensured a blockbuster showdown in the men’s event.
Before the finals took place, the thousands of fans in attendance were treated to a sensational concert from surf music icon Donavon Frankenreiter in the Surf Village, further enhancing the vibes and party atmosphere on a memorable day.
As the surfers returned to the world’s longest man-made wave, the women’s final was first up, and it was Blomfield who triumphed following a total score of 16.60, just ahead of Gall (16.43). She will take home the special handcrafted trophy, carved from ghaf wood and featuring a handwoven Sadu pattern by Emirati women artisans.
It represents a remarkable return to the top for the three-time WSL Longboard World Tour champion, who competed in Abu Dhabi last year while pregnant and has now won the title just six months after giving birth.
Blomfield said: “All of it’s a lot to take in. I feel like I’ve had such blessings in the past few days, all my great waves. It’s hard to be disappointed, even if I did lose. Sharing a final with one of my besties, of course. My partner talked me through the mental side, and you just have to believe in yourself. I tend not to do that a lot, but I’m glad that I had that in me.”
On returning to the Tour after becoming a mother, Blomfield added: “I was pregnant last year, so it was hard and at the contest in El Salvador, and then I had my baby. I really just wanted to do it, because who else would if not me? And I just thought it’d be a cool thing to take my baby on the road with me, let him see a few things, and this (winning a title) was kind of the goal.”
It was then the men’s turn to close the show, and they did not disappoint, with Delpero claiming an impressive victory with a score of 15.80, compared to Sawyer’s 14.43.
Delpero said: “Last time I won was in the pool too, so I’m stoked. This is unreal. I want to go back home as fast as possible and be close to my family. That’s the only thing that really matters now. I have no words.”
The finals provided a fitting conclusion to a spectacular weekend at Surf Abu Dhabi, where fans were treated to a special festival experience featuring world-class longboarding and a vibrant Surf Village with live music and family-friendly activities.
The continued success of the Surf Abu Dhabi Longboard Classic provides further proof of the burgeoning surf culture in the UAE, with Surf Abu Dhabi at its epicentre.